Jet A fuel recovery using micellar flooding: Design and implementation

Area of Science:

• Environmental Engineering
• Geochemistry
• Petroleum Engineering

Background:

• Surfactants aid in Non-Aqueous Phase Liquid (NAPL) recovery through mobilization or solubilization.
• Surfactant Enhanced Aquifer Remediation (SEAR), a solubilization technique, is well-established.
• The mobilization approach for NAPL recovery is less explored.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present laboratory findings supporting a full-scale micellar flood for LNAPL (Jet A fuel) recovery.
• To evaluate a mobilization strategy using reduced surfactant volumes and throughput.
• To inform field implementation decisions through laboratory characterization.

Main Methods:

• Screening of various surfactants for efficacy.
• Phase behavior analysis and salinity scans of selected surfactant formulations.
• Ternary diagram generation for numerical simulation of field application.

Main Results:

• Identification of promising surfactant formulations for LNAPL mobilization.
• Characterization of optimal conditions for micellar flood performance.
• Data generated to support numerical modeling and predict field outcomes.

Conclusions:

• The micellar flood approach shows potential for efficient LNAPL recovery.
• Laboratory results provide a basis for successful full-scale field implementation.
• This method offers a potentially more economical alternative to SEAR.